Damien's Letter
by RJS23423
Summary: It's been a year since Amy and Dan won the clue hunt. With the Vespers just waiting to attack, both try to have their normal lives back. But when the new kid came into their school, the Cahills are once again caught up in an adventure to save the world.
1. Short Term Amnesia

Dan Cahill woke up feeling out of place. He was lying down on a comfy bed, streaked with blue and black. The walls were painted with the same color, but a collection of ninjas decorated the walls, giving the 11-year old room feel. A desk was found by the side of the bed, filled with notebooks and books left opened. A lamp was left opened, a small shade of blue filling the table it was placed on. Three swords hung decoratively on the wall. He was even wearing pajamas: a clad of blue with a decoration of his favorite ninja design. He was home.

He was totally out of place

"Aahhh" He screamed. '_I ain't suppose to be here!' _

It was true. He wasn't suppose to be at home. He was suppose to be anywhere _but _home. He should be out of the house, travelling to who knows where to get this clue. His should be in danger already, tied up in double-knot ropes by three assassins or dangling by a foot by the side of the Golden Gate bridge. He should be on the run already, away from an angry mob of monks or after a speeding car about to get away with lead. He should be stretching his brain already, figuring out a puzzle so many people would quit on the first try or squeezing it out for ideas to get out of the near-apocalyptic situation. No matter what the reason, he wasn't suppose to be _just _at home.

'_What the heck!' _he thought to himself rather angrily '_am I dreaming?' _but the thought of dreaming after waking up couldn't be more absurd, right?

Amy opened the door and barged in. "What happened?" she asked him, worry written all over her face.

"Aaahhhh!" he screamed again, now looking vaguely at Amy.

"What?" she asked with concern as she scrutinized herself "What's wrong?"

"What the heck are you wearing?" he screamed. He was shocked. But to be shocked with what Amy was wearing mean he was totally out of his mind.

"What?" she asked innocently, looking through herself again "I don't see anything wrong" It was true, nothing was wrong. Well, at least in Dan's eyes, there is.

"Are you kidding?" he growled "I mean, look at yourself. You're wearing Pajamas!"

"So?" she retorted, offended "You are wearing some too!"

"I know! Why are we wearing some?" his eyes looked confused, barely able to grasp what is the truth

"You must be kidding me" she put her hands on her hips, the same thing she did when she was angry "I can't believe you're going to use that trick again"

"I'm not! Honestly, what the heck is going on?"

"Just get up. We've got school, dweeb. It's best we leave early."

"School? What are you talking about?"

"Stop kidding, dweeb. You're getting on my nerves. _Again" _

He looked at her, still confused as ever. "What?"

She went to Dan's bed. Then, unexpectedly, she rammed her hand behind his head. "That jog your '_memory'?"_

_"_Ow!" he yelled "What was that for?"

"Gosh, your impossible!" she ran out of the room and slammed the door shut. Dan stared at the door. Then, it hit him

Well, for one thing, the ram in the head did _jog _his memory. He got out from bed, putting on the slippers that were messily left on the floor. "Hmm...I guess it worked" he said as he went out of the room

* * *

><p>Dan met a fuming big sister by the time he reached the bathroom<p>

"What? Got your memory back?" Amy asked with annoyance in her voice

"Yeah, I guess you can say that" he replied casually

She entered the bathroom and slammed the door shut in front of his face.

"What's her problem?" he murmured to himself. '_Oh right. I'm one to talk'_

He went down the stairs, into the most obvious place to go to: the kitchen

"Mornin', kiddo" Nellie greeted. She was cooking something exotic, judging from the ingredients on the counter he couldn't even recognize "You're up early"

"It's early?" he asked as he took a seat

"Yup. 6:35 in the morning. Why you up so early?" she asked curiously

"I dunno, really. I just knew that I woke up with short-term amnesia"

"Again?" Nellie replied, putting a pinch of salt on the exotic dish "Gosh, when would you stop doing that. It's not even believable"

"I know" he paused "But I wasn't kidding this time"

"Yeah, we'll believe that for now" she took a tasting spoon from the side and sampled the food "Too salty" she said

"Watcha makin?" he asked nonchalantly

Nellie turned back to him and smiled "You wouldn't know it in the first place"

Dan nodded. He sat back from his seat '_Wow. We're really back to normal'_

When Dan got his "_memory" _back, everything came to light. He was 12 years old now, a year since he and Amy won the 39 clues. By the time they got back to Boston, things started coming back to the way it was. Their uncle Fiske took custody over them along with their au pair Nellie Gomez. Because of that, they now live 3-story mansion. Of course, it is not without Madrigal protection. The mansion had a secret Madrigal stronghold just below it, accessible only through a secret door in the basement. Every second of every hour of every day, he was watched from afar by Madrigal agents. Some were teachers from his school. Others, not that undercover. Some just wore black coats like what uncle Fiske did when they were still in the clue hunt. Others, a little too bright. Nonetheless, he and his sister were watched 24/7.

Ever since they won the clue hunt with the help of all the branches, the whole Cahill family seemed united once again. The Lucians started trading clues with the Janus branch and the Tomas set aside the betrayal Katherine did to their ancestor. Ever since they won, the dream of the Madrigal branch has been fulfilled. Although some are still reluctant, most are already willing to throw away the 500 years of murder, betrayal and bloodshed to start anew. The Madrigals were overjoyed with Amy and Dan's triumphant endeavor.

Just because they were the niece and nephew of the Madrigal leader doesn't mean they're excused from the rigorous training of being one. Every day after school, and most of the afternoon during weekends, both Amy and Dan had to undergo training with the watchful eye of the Madrigal agents. They had to run for 5 miles, make 50 push-ups and stretch the farthest they can go, and that was only the warm up. The first few weeks of that made Dan pass out at the 3rd mile. He's making an improvement, though. He could run a good 10 miles without breaking a sweat.

Then, the real training starts. They were trained to crack codes no matter how hard the difficulty. They were taught how to freerun and parkour, which excited Dan during their first lesson. Well, at least he didn't fall on his head now. They were taught to handle a gun, from a pistol to an AK. They were even taught hand-to-hand and weapons combat. Dan yelped when he found out they were going to teach him the way of the sword. Well, it was the closest to becoming a ninja. What the heck? Amy, not as enthusiastic. The only training she enjoyed was, Dan barfed at the thought, history, and boy did Dan get bored with that. He always wondered if they were really related; that she was swapped with his suppose-to-be ninja warlord brother. Then again, he resolved that issue a long time ago.

But they weren't just training because of they're forced to. After all, the clue hunt was over. What more reason could there be to train harder? No. There was another reason for their training. A very...dangerous enemy is approaching. And "_Very Dangerous" _was a big understatement.

_'Vespers' _Dan thought to himself

The Vespers were the arch-enemies of the Cahills, so to speak. They are the bloodthirsty family that also know about the clues. They would do anything to attain it. Anything. Isabel Kabra was the perfect example. She was a Lucian-Vesper that tormented the lives of Amy and Dan during the clue hunt. Just the sound of her name sends shivers to his spine. But Fiske himself told them that the Vespers were much more dangerous. In a sense, they make Isabel Kabra look like Mother Teresa. Whoever the Vespers are, then they're 10, maybe a 100, times more evil than Isabel Kabra.

'_At least we'll be ready'_

Oh how wrong his statement is. They aren't even close from ready

But he had to believe in that. It was his, and probably everyone's, only hope on surviving. They needed the assurance of survival.

'_Well, at least it looks like we're normal'_

They were going to school. Nellie was cooking food. Amy was reading books. He was practicing his Ninja skills. Yeah, they look normal again.

He stood up from his seat and went upstairs

"Where you goin'?" Nellie asked

"Gonna take a shower" he replied

"Okay. Don't take too long. Breakfast is almost ready"

Dan hurried climbing the staircase.

'_One thing's for sure,' _he thought '_at least there's no more Beatrice to tell me what to do'_

He smirked at the thought

* * *

><p><strong>RJS23423 here. I'm finally done. I actually thought of posting this 2 months ago. Only had the time to finish it now. Hehe. Like all my other stories, it's not the start I was hoping to etch in your brain. Still, it was a good start, right? Please let me know. I appreciate the help. You want to Flame me or whatever, do what you want. Just tell me your opinion. I thank you in advance. <strong>

**Also, I have 2 stories I feel are being neglected. For Pokemon fans out there, I have this fic called "Power Hungry". It still doesn't have reviews. Care to be the first? For crossover fans, I have a PJO and TKC crossover fic called "War of the Gods". The title says it all. It has only 2 reviews, if I recall. Would you be the next?**

**I guess that's it**

**RJS23423 signing off.**

** Peace**


	2. Daydreaming

Amy Cahill sat at the shotgun seat with a thick, 400-page book spread open on her lap and blood-red headphones jacked in her ear at full volume. The book-reading inside a moving vehicle was not a surprise for the 15-year old brainiac, but the loud music playing in her Ipod was. Ever since Nellie bought it for her as a present when she it 1-5, she's been using it every single day. Well, everyday in the morning while going to school. It somehow relaxed and eased her stress when the loud and rhythmic beats started playing through the headphones, accompanied by the sensational and alluring combination of words that painted an amazing world of Imagination. It was either that, or to somehow escape the horrible torture device that was known as the singing of Nellie Gomez

Now discrimination wasn't much of Amy's taste, but she was sure everyone would agree that Nellie Gomez was the _worst _singer in the world. There was one time when she asked if she should join American Idol; Amy and Dan shouted no at the same time. Nellie looked hurt, but she had no choice, after all.

Besides, Nellie was good at other stuff. I mean, she could whip up the best sandwich in the world and you couldn't even determine the ingredients it composed of. She could drive just about anything with ease, even if it required driving with one hand or doing it blindfolded. In fact, when Amy turned at the driver's seat, the wild, if not crazy, au pair was driving the car with one hand and about the same attention span as a drunkard on the streets. And yet she was able to drive the car with as much mastery as that of a _very accomplished _NASCAR driver. And who wouldn't forget the plane-driving? She could pilot it in her sleep (But that would've been an exaggeration). Either way, no matter how much they love Nellie, the simply couldn't stand her singing at least one note (yes, she realizes that she may have been over-reacting. But better safe than sorry)

She looked at the woman that was driving their car, singing what could've been the latest Lady Gaga song she just couldn't put her finger for the name. She cranked up the volume of her Ipod, closed her book that was bookmarked a third to the end, and slipped into a short but relaxing slumber. The timing of the graceful and mellow song that echoed through her headphones was enough to make her drift into sleep. Whilst she imagined the scenes of her book, a dirty-blonde boy with the same emerald green eyes as she had pulsed in her mind, and she was suddenly back in the real world

'_Where's Dan?' _She thought. He couldn't remember him riding the car, and he didn't notice him inside the car at all. Was it possible that they accidentally left him back at the house?

But lo and behold, when she turned, he saw him, very much unlike the normal Dan that she endured almost every day. There he was, quiet and distant, not even bearing in mind the sound waves that were definitely polluted with a music critic's worst nightmare. Amy could tell that Dan wasn't very much like himself. If he was the normal Dan, then he would've for sure made very hurtful side comments about the singing of a certain Nellie Gomez the moment she cranks up the volume of the car and starts to sing along with who-knows-who. But here he was, staring at the window of their car with a blank face she never expected he was capable of doing.

She took off her headphones and stopped the song that was playing on her Ipod. Then, she turned and faced the boy that seemed different from the brother that he had. "Hey" she said in the midst of the loud music that was filling up the inside of their car

"Hey." He replied softly, not even turning to face her

She pouted. Even the old Dan didn't ignore her like this. At least a cruel comment to add, but there was none

"What's wrong?" She asked, concerned at the newness of the guy behind him

"What is?" he replied with a question, now turning to face her

"You know" she started, ducking the flinging right arm that came from the driver's side "you being quiet all of a sudden. This isn't you, Dan, you know that? What wrong? Did something happen?"

He shrugged "I don't know? I don't notice anything wrong. Am I?"

Amy tried to recall the past events. There has to be something that happened "Is this about what happened this morning? Look, I'm sorry about that, okay? I didn't mean screaming at you for acting like that. I mean you suddenly screamed! And you know how I feel about—"

"Amy" he interrupted "It's not about that, okay?"

"Then what is this all about? You being quiet and all?"

"It's just…" Dan started "I mean it's-"

"I'M GONNA MARRY THE NIGHT!" Nellie screamed, earning angry looks from both Cahills. She noticed them looking, and absent-mindedly decreased the volume "Yeah, sorry about that"

"Here" Amy said, giving her Ipod and her headphones to her "Wear this and please don't start singing again" The girl looked at her pleadingly, and Nellie nodded

"Sometimes" Nellie started "you guys are no fun" She opened the Ipod and continued singing silently. Amy looked at the road; they were still a few minutes away from school, maybe about 20 minutes. She moved from the shotgun seat to the backseat, something she rarely did, but something that has become normal to her. Sinead was usually in the backseat and she usually transferred to talk to her, changing places with Dan. Sinead doesn't come to school, so she never did it in the morning. But something was bothering Dan, and she was determined to find it out

"So what's up?" she asked, looking at her brother with concern

"I miss it" he plainly answered

"You miss what?"

"I miss the adventures we did when we were hunting for the clues" he said "I mean, every day when we were on the hunt, it felt like being inside the action movie I never imagined of playing a part of. All those new discoveries, shocking revelations, everything. I miss all of that. I mean, sure, we almost died a few times, but it felt like the best days of my life"

Dan paused and took a deep breath "After the clue hunt, it was all over. I mean, yeah, I was happy to be back home. But since we got back, it was never the same. It was good to have Sinead there; I mean it was good to talk to someone else. And the training was awesome. But right now, I feel like I'm in a rut!"

Amy looked at him. True, even she missed those times: the quick getaways, the amazing discoveries, the adrenaline-pumping stunts. But even she had to admit that it was all over. She was happy to be back, but, like Dan, she felt like she was stuck in a rut. The year after the hunt passed as if it was just a day.

"I know how you feel, Dan" was all she thought of saying "I miss them, too. But you have to admit that those days were a thing of the past"

Dan nodded. It was true. It was just a thing of the past…

"You know," Dan started "I think I kinda want the Vespers to attack us"

Amy was wide-eyed "Are you kidding me? You do know how lethal Vespers can be!"

"I do" he replied "I'm just saying, Amy! Anything to get off this rut, right?"

"Yeah…" Amy said "Well, glad you're back" she started to move back to the shotgun seat "Oh, and please don't turn into the person I don't know again, okay?"

"Sure" Dan said, beaming to her his famous smirk

Amy returned to her seat, happy to see that her brother's back to how she knew him. But Dan's voice seemed to echo in her mind '_…I think I want the Vespers to attack us'_

It was a wild idea, but siblings somehow think alike. Amy longed to get away from this somehow new old-life. She wanted to feel the adrenaline pumping in her veins again. Somehow, like Dan, she _wanted _the Vespers to attack them

The Vespers, a name that brought chills to her spine. A name she regretted yet somehow longed to hear, longed to come.

She didn't know how dangerous Vespers can be, but she had an idea of how ruthless they can be. If the Vespers had the power to make Isabel Kabra, the person that brought, and continued to bring, nightmares to her dreams, look like the most saintly of all saints, then she dared not to see them in person

One time, while training with their Uncle Fiske, Amy asked how dangerous the Vespers _really _are

_Fiske was fiddling the array of guns that were ladled on the table in front of them. Positioned about a few meters away were target dummies. Fiske's side was already pierced through the heart and head. Those were the only holes on the dummy, and the gun Fiske was holding was 2 bullets short_

"_Have you ever heard of the Al-Queda?" Fiske asked, choosing another gun from the variety of projectile-firing weapons set for him. Amy nodded. They were the terrorist group that caused the 9/11. She saw it all over the news, and mourned for the people that got caught in the attack. They taught it at school, warned them of how dangerous they can be. Amy imagined them: ruthless beings that have lost their heart and soul; Selfish beings that were willing to sacrifice anything to get what they wanted_

_Fiske took out a gun from those set in front of him. It was a revolver, a classic. He checked the cartridge, 6 loaded bullets. "Their leaders" Fiske started "are top Vesper Agents" he fired all 6 bullets. When he was finished, she saw the bullets making bulls-eyes on the heart. Fiske removed his goggles and ear muffs (as she liked to call them) and walked towards the sitting area of the facility._

"_The 9/11 attack" he continued from his seat "was supposed to be an infiltration mission. Something was hidden in the tower. Lucian secrets, technically, but the plan failed. To take advantage of the moment, the leaders agreed to just sacrifice the plane and destroy the tower. If they can't come in, then they made sure no one could get out and find it"_

_Amy's grip on her gun loosened, and she suddenly dropped it. She picked it up, and wobbly tried to aim at the target dummy again _

"_Amy." Fiske started, standing up and walking toward her "The Vespers will use that fear inside you. Don't let it get to you, okay?"_

_Amy nodded "Of course"_

_Amy never brought it up again._

Nellie bringing them to school, the Madrigal training they were involving themselves into, all those stuff was for them to remain safe from Vesper hands

Fiske, William, Nellie and all the other agents vowed to protect their lives against the Vespers, yet here they are, wanting for the Vespers to attack.

Sometimes, she was confused by her own train of thought

"Okay, kiddos!" Nellie shouted, once again bringing her back to the real world "Stay safe, don't cause _too much _trouble, and come home in one piece, are we clear?"

She was surprised to see herself at school after what seemed like brief daydreaming. Maybe this is what daydreaming can do to you. She made a mental note to do it only at home

"Hey, Amy," Nellie shook her awake once again "You okay?"

Amy looked at her and nodded "Yes. See you at home, Nellie!" She opened the door to the car and left

"By the way, I put your Ipod and your headphones inside your bag!" Nellie shouted before veering off to who-knows-where

Nellie walked inside her school, which was filled with students. Some looked at her and followed her moves, others completely ignored her presence. Yeah, she was still popular in a non-popular way. At least she somehow attracted attention. But the thought of that never crossed her mind even once.

Everything that happened before homeroom was a blur; all she could recall was, well, nothing.

It was only when the teacher opened her mouth when she was finally jolted awake

"Okay, class" her homeroom teacher started "Today, we will be having a new student. His name is David Manalansan" she could feel her teacher struggle to pronounce the surname "He's a transfer from another country. Please be kind to him"

Amy saw him, the transfer student. Their eyes met, and Amy suddenly shivered. In a way, she could tell that he was trouble. She looked at him and accidentally thought _'Vesper'. _She shouldn't have thought of that, but the idea crossed her mind the moment her eyes met his.

Well, in a way, Amy was right.


	3. Hostility and Friendliness

David looked at all of the students, his would-be classmates, and tried to scrutinize who and what they were. That was his talent; his training, so to speak. He would look at a person's face, his body language, and he could immediately decipher who that guy was, what his personality is and find out what that guy had for breakfast (The last part was no joke, but he could only do that with a few people)

The teacher in the room blabbered about something before he was introduced, so he scoured and analyzed every single item in the room: The purple bag of the guy in front, the large inflatable globe by the teacher's desk, the small pencil the girl in the third row was tapping furiously on her desk. That was also his gift, but he preferred to call it his _bane: _to look at almost every detail, even the minutest, and weigh the chances of its usefulness. Ever since they were small, he and his sister were taught how to do it. After all, anything could be used…

"…_as a weapon, David. You could use anything you can to your advantage…" _

He pushed the thought away, though it was never _his thoughts_.

He focused on the task he and his sister placed their hands in. He was risking himself, his sister's, _and many more lives _with what he is planning to do. But if he is successful, then the lives of many more will be saved.

His eyes caught a set of green emeralds, but the gaze quickly moved away. He smirked, because he knew he found the _key _to the success of the plan.

He was brought back to reality when the teacher called his name, though he winced at the difficulty the teacher had with his surname "…He is from another country. Please be kind to him" The teacher, a plump old man with greying hair, whose face looked red as a beet, gestured him to come closer. He did, and the man whispered something to his ear "_If you do this right, then we'll be safe. We're putting an awful lot of trust in you, boy, don't screw this up!"_

The last sentence that the man whispered made him wince

"_Do not screw this up, you Vesper!"_

* * *

><p><p>

"Okay, David," Mr. Brand had said "Please look for a place to sit"

Amy looked around to see if there were any vacant seats in class. There were 3: one by the door, another in front, and one by the window. Problem was, the one by the window was next to her seat. She prayed that the transferee would take the other two seats. But to her horror, she found that the transfer kid was walking toward the seat by the window, the seat next to her.

She panicked on the inside; she didn't know what to do. But the other, logical part of her brain was thinking '_Why am I panicking?' _What was there that she was so worried about? It's not like the guy was truly a V-_Vesper, _right? It was just something she said by accident, something she didn't mean when she saw his piercing black eyes looking at her with scrutiny.

But the part that was telling her to panic was going crazy inside her head '_A Vesper's here! We're all doomed' _she thought.

She always thought that a mind at war with itself was absurd and impossible to happen. Only now did she realize that it really does happen to a person.

She looked at the guy that took the vacant seat by the window, and examined him closely. His eyes couldn't seem to keep still, as he saw them moving furiously from one object to another. Other than that, he looked like the normal, Asian student all schools seem to have.

Her mind couldn't keep still. It kept moving from believing she was safe to realizing she was in great danger. She couldn't shake off the feeling that the guy was actually a _Vesper! _It was as if he emitted the aura of one, like the aura of the horrible witch in high heels; the aura of the ruthless beauty known as Isabel Kabra.

Homeroom passed without her understanding a single word the teacher said. The bell rang and she found herself sprinting out of class. Somehow, she felt glad to be out of the room; at least her mind would stop nagging about the danger they were in and finally start focusing on the _actual lesson. _

Thankfully, it happened

* * *

><p><p>

Dan was still suffering from the effects of sudden happiness.

He couldn't stop himself from laughing even after he got sent to detention.

You see, earlier this morning there was this new transferee in their homeroom that had some sort of _gift _for the teacher. She gave the gift after she was introduced, and found her seat next to Dan.

The next thing he knew, Ms. Figgins was jumping from all the toads that jumped from the _gift. _She literally shrieked from her place! She was red in anger that she walked towards the new girl, only to find herself slip and fall on the floor. Somehow, a banana peel dropped on the floor and made Ms. Figgins slip just as she was walking towards the girl. She was not only red in anger, she was red from embarrassment! The whole class laughed at the whole stunt, but was silenced by the sneer Ms. Figgins used when she was angry. She looked at the girl next to him, and on her first day, she received detention.

It was there that he started to respect her. The first girl to earn respect from Dan! Well, besides Amy, Grace and Nellie.

Then suddenly, Ms. Figgins turned to him and gave him detention as well! For once, he didn't do anything to earn detention. He was just sitting there seeing the diabolical plan unfold, and now he was accused of being an _accomplice? _He looked at the girl next to him, who was trying to suppress her laughter. He suddenly grew angry for the transferee

He tried to reason it out, saying that it was the girl who planted the peel, but she didn't believe her. In the end, he was still put to detention, and the new-found respect he had for the girl was now replaced with anger.

But still, sitting in detention and remembering the _epic_ face of the surprised teacher that looked like she saw some frogs, which she did, couldn't help but bring a smirk to his face.

He was sitting there, a minute before detention started, along with the other guys that got detention as well. He saw a few familiar faces: Tony and Clyde were back as usual (He really couldn't believe how regular those two guys are in this room. He was in detention once or twice a week. But these were here every day, as if this was an extra part of their class), his classmate Sean was here, probably did something during 3rd period (He was supposed to be part of that, but there were a few changes to that plan), and Chester was doing something with his notebook again (He swore that guy was weird!). He wasn't familiar with the other guys in detention. All he knew was that these guys did something, while he did nothing at all!

The door opened, and Dan expected the wrinkly old woman to arrive and make the last 20 minutes of the school day the worst. But he only saw light brown skin holding the door knob, contrast to the pale-white, wrinkly-old hand he was expecting. Behind the door was the new girl from homeroom, looking almost the same as when he first met her a few hours ago. She had that same mischievous smile when she entered the room, and Dan glared at her, saying through his eyes that _'I shouldn't be here!'_ The girl only giggled at him, and took the seat next to his, mouthing to him the words _I know. _That further infuriated Dan, but he kept his cool. After all, the wrinkly old woman just entered the room, and the 20 minutes of boredom has started.

* * *

><p><p>

20 excruciating minutes have passed and detention was over. Everyone in the classroom moved out as fast as they could. They looked like dogs finally given their freedom. Ms. Hayfer, the old woman that supervised them, was slowly walking towards the door, and soon it was just Dan.

Well, Dan and the _girl_

"That was the first time I had detention doing nothing at all!" Dan whined, stuffing all his belongings in his backpack.

"Well, now I know detention sucks" The girl stated, slinging her backpack to her shoulders

"It was all your fault!" Dan shouted

"And how is it mine?" she asked, looking at him with mock curiosity.

"You could've told the teacher that _you _planted that peel!" he explained

"Why would I? It would only give me _more _trouble!" she answered matter-a-factly

She had a point. Even Dan wouldn't admit something like that; it would only cause him more trouble. They were both silent for a while, waiting for the other to react. And then, she laughed

"I hate detention!" she said through her laughs. Dan didn't get her. Didn't everyone hate detention?

"Everyone does, um" Dan realized he didn't know her name "What was your name, again?"

"Joey" she answered

"Eww!" he reacted "That's gross! Why do you have a boy's name?"

She laughed again "Joey stands for Joanna. My name's Joanna Manalansan"

"Mana-what?" Dan asked, his usual dorky self taking over him

Joey pouted "How come Americans can't get my surname right?" she looked at him "Manalansan. Ma-na-lan-san! Got it?"

"Okay. So, um, Joey." He struggled with the name. Somehow, he couldn't say it to a girl "That was a great prank you pulled today! How'd you do it?" His eyes glinted with curiosity. He pulled that prank once, but he wanted to find out how _she _did it

"Don't lie to me, um…" She racked her head for a name

"Dan" he added, noticing the short silence between them

"Okay, Dan. Don't you dare lie to me!" she looked at him fiercely now "I know you know how easy it is to pull that prank!"

Dan held his hands up "Yeah, I do. But I just wanted to know how—"

"How _I _pulled it off? Dude, you totally look down on women! You think _we _can't pull _that _thing off?"

He was surprised how she suddenly turned into a loose cannon "Okay. Sorry about that. I didn't mean to"

She stared him down (She was a few inches shorter than him, but he felt inferior to her for the first time) "Don't you _ever _look down on us again!"

"Okay, okay!" Dan surrendered "I give, okay! You got a deal!"

"Good!" She finished. She noticed that they were the only ones in the classroom. Dan seemed to notice too

"You want to ditch this place?" Dan asked sheepishly

"Yeah. Sounds good" she replied

They sprinted out of the room (Apparently out of the awkward feeling the room was giving them), and started walking to the school's exit. "So, Joey," Dan tried striking up a conversation "Where are you from?"

"Somewhere in Asia" she said. Dan looked at her, asking through his eyes to be more specific. "Try to guess, smartie-pants!"

Dan tried to recall all the countries of Asia he knew, and his photographic memory did just that. "You don't look Chinese" he remarked. His times in China gave him a permanent idea what the Chinese looked like "That also means I have to scratch off Japan and Korea…" she was way off the mark between the normal stereotypic Asian. He looked at her skin: Light brown "Indian?" she shook her head no

"Try again" she said, walking slowly and looking at him thinking (It was awkward for him to see that. no one looked at him with like that. _At all!_)

"Malaysia!" He blurted, thinking he got it right. Joey shook her head again

"Nope!" she said "But you're close"

Dan's face lit up. He was getting close. "Indonesia? Cambodia? Vietnam?" he said. He found it absurd though. Usually, those countries brought out weird names. He remembered Pol Pot from Cambodia. Yes, definitely a weird name (Not to mention, that guy was a Tomas. He didn't look like one, though)

Joey shook her head once again "No, no and definitely no! C'mon Dan! Try harder"

Dan tried looking for another country "Israel?" he guessed it was a wild shot

"Nope. Sorry" Joey replied

"Okay," Dan said, shrugging "I give. I don't know what it is"

Joey looked at him, disappointed "I had so much faith in you…" she joked (It was so corny!)

Dan, surprisingly, laughed.

"Okay, Danny" Joey started. It was the first time Dan was called Danny. Natalie called her by his full name, and everyone else called him Dan. He was surprised by the new nickname (doesn't anyone?) "Have you ever heard of Boracay?" she asked. Dan nodded. It was one of those beautiful beaches of the world. Nellie once told them that she liked to have her vacation there. It was found at this place in Asia. Dan had the name by the tip of his tongue. It started with a P…then it hit him

He smiled at her "Looks like I know where you're from now" he said, happy to have found it out

Joey nodded "Yep. I'm the lucky gal from the Philippines!"

Dan forgot what happened next. The next thing he knew, they exchanged cell phone numbers, met with his brother, then saw them walk away. "See you tomorrow, Danny!" she shouted, waving back at him. He just stared at them as they disappeared.

Yes, it looks like Dan earned a new friend, and apparently a new nickname

"You look good" someone said from behind him. He turned and met the face of his sister

"Hey, Ames" he answered casually "How was your day?"

"I don't know. Great?" she said, quite unsure herself.

"U-huh" Dan replied, agreeing with her uncertainty

"Yours?" Amy asked in turn. This was somehow a routine for them: Waiting for Nellie to arrive (Fiske told them it was safer that way), talking about their day. That was one of their bonding times; times when they can act as a real brother and sister

"Well, I got detention for something I didn't do" Dan answered, accidentally remembering the dreaded 20 minutes he didn't deserve. Amy looked at him with curiosity "Believe it or not, I got detention for something I _didn't_ do!"

"You repeated _didn't do _twice. What is it you _didn't do?"_

"Drop a banana peel on the floor and make a teacher slip off" Amy was imagining what happened. She couldn't help but grin herself

"That must've been priceless!" she said. If it were a few months ago, Dan wouldn't have believed it was his sister she was talking to.

"I know! But that's the reason I got detention!" Dan replied

"And I believe you…" she added

"Wait" Dan stopped "You do?"

"Yeah. I mean, that would've been too easy for you! You never do too easy"

"Wow! Am I really talking to Amy Cahill?" Dan said, wide-eyed

"So anyway, who was that girl you were with?" Amy asked, a smirk on her face "Has my beloved brother found love, already?"

Dan barfed at the thought. _Love? _No, that was not him. "Eew, Amy! That's gross!"

"Okay fine!" she said "But who was she? I never see you talk to girls. This girl must've really earned your respect for you to notice her, no?"

"I guess" Dan said "Her name was Joey. You know, short for Joanna. She was a new transfer here at school. Got detention on her first day!"

"That must be how she got your respect." Amy suggested

"No kidding! She pulled her prank on her first day!" Dan said "Now that's a first! I've never seen a girl pull a prank, before!"

Dan looked excited. He ranted about what happened that time: How Joey pulled a prank for her teacher _twice _in the same class, and how he got angry for getting involved

Nellie arrived just before he was done talking

"What up, kiddos?" Nellie said "How was your day?"

The trip went on with both teens retelling the story of they just told each other

Another normal day is finished

"So, Joey" David started "How was it?"

Joey looked at him, smiling "It's good! I'm already friends with Dan. Who knew he'd be so easy to connect with!" she remarked, remembering the time she had with that dorky kid.

David smiled. He's never seen his sister so happy! They never were able to make friends; just acquaintances and _accomplices. _Their…_he _just told them to keep their relationships shallow, never dig too deep. Deep relationships hurt. _'Besides' _he said _'Who needs friends when you have the world in your hands?'_

He pushed _him _away from his thoughts again

"Good" David said "You're improving on your part"

"What about you?" Joey asked "Any luck on making friends with the Amy Cahill?"

David sighed "No…I looked at her face. She identified me as…_that _right away"

"Don't give up, bro!" Joey had said, lifting his spirits up "Filipinos don't quit!"

"I beg to differ, lil sis" David said "Filipinos quit when the going gets tough" he shoved his hands to his pockets "Same goes with everyone in the world"

Joey looked at him, concerned about the cynical emotion his brother was exhibiting "Then put it this way. I will be there for you!" she paused "Because Filipinos never leave each other behind…" She said, earning a smile from his brother

"…They just pull each other down, sometimes" he finished.

A memento from a very proud Filipina…from a _very special person _in their heart…

"…we're doing this for her" Joey said. David couldn't help but nod

"…for the dream she had…" David added. He reached for his pocket and pulled out a photo. He stared at the woman there, smiling and enjoying her time, and touched her face. He shoved it back to his pockets.

"Well, I hope we do this right" Joey said "If we do, then we're one step closer to her dream"

"A dream she died fighting for…" he added

They walked silently afterwards.

Neither seemed to notice the guy in the black trench coat following them

* * *

><p><p>

**Well, that concludes Chapter 3**

**I know, I got bored reading parts of it**

**No worries, I promise it get better (on my part)**

**Well, that't it for now. So...see ya!**

**RJS23423 out!**

**Peace**


	4. Tick Tock

** Hey Guys! Sorry for the late update! This is supposed to be longer than usual, but the other just wouldn't make the perfect fit**

**So anyways, here it is! **

* * *

><p>David and Joey preferred walking. Hailing for a cab wasn't their style. <em>She <em>taught them that. She always told them to take the reasonable way, not the easy way. The easy way didn't always equate to the right way, but the reasonable way usually equates to it (But there were always some exceptions). Hailing a cab was the easy way. Walking was the _reasonable way. _It was exercise, it was cheaper, and it was totally logical if you could bear the pain.

When they arrived at the place they were staying, it was already nightfall. There was an apartment for rent a bit far from school, and they were able to snag a few of the units it had left. It was a bit pricey, but David was able to pull a few strings to rent it for free.

The door clicked as David unlocked the door. He opened it, and switched the lights open. When the lights sparked to life, David saw that everything was the way they left it this morning. Joey moved to the window, and saw the cars that sped back and forth in the freeway. The view from their place wasn't much, but even the tenth floor looked like it had an exhilarating view. "Really beautiful from up here, ain't it, David?" she said, throwing her backpack on the green couch. She turned to her brother "You seriously love green, don't you David?"

"I do" David replied, placing his bag on the couch "Can you blame me?" Joey turned back and stared at the view they had in the building. "So who's cooking?" he asked. He heard her sister shout _'You do it'_ from the living room. He smirked.

Both of them were good cooks. _She_ taught them how

He opened the lights in the bedroom, and what he saw surprised him.

Placed on their bed was a big envelope, bulky and looking like it was overstuffed with items.

But the most frightening thing was what was placed on the face of the envelope. Written in black ink and Gothic writing was the letter that scared even the strongest of leaders. The letter V

The sign of the Vespers

He took the crisp envelope and weighed it. It was heavy, and it looked like the envelope would tear with the heaviness of things inside. He placed it under the light, but he couldn't make out the item that was inside

"Joey!" he called "Come in here!"

Joey appeared in the room the moment David cried out. Joey knew that when David shouted that way, there was something _wrong. _Something _really wrong_

"What is it?" she asked, nervous at the news she was expecting he would give. David held out the envelope for her to see, and she gasped at the letter that was written on its face. David sat on his bed, and Joey walked towards him

He opened the envelope and pulled out a big, high-tech phone. The cell phone held one message: _Tick-tock_

"DeOssie" Joey murmured. They were holding a DeOssie phone, a phone that the _Vespers _use regularly. It was hard to get, and its security was remarkable. It was also hard to find, never sold publicly at all. Joey pocketed the phone and looked at his brother, who was holding a piece of paper that was neatly folded, with a seal of the _Vespers _printed on its side

David opened the letter, and both of them began to read silently

_Disobedient little children deserve to be punished. The funny thing is, you're not little children anymore._

_Daddy's doing his best to be patient. Come home and leave everything behind, and I may forgive you for your actions._

_If you don't, you know the consequences._

_Cheers, my little children! I'm being generous to you._

_You have 48 hours_

_I love you with all my heart_

_Vesper One_

"This can't be good." Joey inquired. David nodded in agreement

"Looks like we have to rush things" David said. They stood up and left the bedroom "You think you can contact Dan?"

Joey stopped walking. David looked at her, and turned at the thing she was staring at.

By the door was a man in a trench coat, with a hat that covered his eyes. David could barely see his face, but he noticed his other features. He was wearing black gloves, and he could see the crest of the Vespers sewn on the back. The guy was wearing a sweater and some khaki pants. His shoes were shined black and glossy. The man smirked, and David saw a big scar on his left cheek. David's eyes went wide; he knew who this guy was.

Benvolio Salvatore. Italian citizen. 25 years old. Wanted in many countries for drug trafficking and murder

He was Vesper 6. He was the Enforcer, his daddy's most powerful henchmen

The phone rang, and Joey pulled it out of her pocket. She read the message and looked scared as a cat. "D-David…" she stammered, shakily handing the phone to him

David read the message silently

_I made a mistake with the 48 Hours. I want you to turn back now!_

_Oh, and I know about that little plan of yours._

_I don't want to see you guys hurt. But if you say no, you'd be more than just that._

_Hand over the letter and he'll bring you to me_

_Hugs and kisses,_

_Vesper One_

David threw the phone away in anger. "Give the letter and everything will be fine" Benvolio said with a thick, Italian accent

"Joey…" he murmured. Joey came closer, trying to hear the words that he was saying "…Get your bag, and give me mine" Joey hesitated, but she took her back, slung it on her back, and gave David his. David rummaged his bag and took a crisp, manila envelope out of its secret compartment. The enforcer stretched his hand and opened his palm.

"The repentant son asks for forgiveness. How sweet" Benvolio said, chuckling. David noticed his movements: he was tapping his fingers on his leg, and his legs were spaced apart. He looked at him and noticed him yawn

_'Tapping fingers…yawns…feet spaced apart…Impatience…Boredom…overconfidence'_

And right then, David formed a plan

"I don't like playing with little children" Benvolio remarked "especially those that disobey their parents"

"Believe me," David smirked "I'm no kid."

"Stop the games. I'm not joking" Benvolio looked irritated, just what David wanted "The faster you do this, the better"

David looked at his sister. Joey read through his brother's eyes. '_Get ready…' _he said

David held the envelope, moving his hands to the waiting palms of the Italian enforcer. Benvolio was about to snag it off his hands, until David retreated and pulled his hand back. Benvolio didn't look happy. He tried to steal it off David's grip, but he kept retreating his hands "I'm not playing games!" he shouted

Benvolio tried to reach for the envelope again, but David pulled his arm back just in time. Then, with quick precision, he kicked the man's crotch. The Italian's face contorted in pain, and he fell to his knees, holding his nuts that throbbed with pain. A split second later, he pulled out a kind of spray from his bag, and sprayed it in front of the man's face. The man yelped in pain, and he moved one of his hands to his eyes.

David saw his opportunity. "Run, Joey!" he said, and his sister followed without question. They ran towards the door, and sprinted towards the fire exit. All the while they heard the enforcer scream in agony, unable to bear the pain of being hit in the crotch. They continued running through the flights of stairs, skipping two or three steps as they quickened their pace. Once in a while, they turned, checking if there was someone that was tailing them.

Sure enough, there were two men running down the flights of stairs, trying to catch them. David stole a glance and saw that the men were holding guns. It was enough for him to run faster. When he overtook his sister, she got the message, and ran faster down the flight of stairs.

They reached the end of the stairs, and opened the door to the outside. Once out, they ran to the road and hailed a cab. A cab came and stopped at their feet. They went in as fast as they could. "Drive. Fast!" David said to the cab driver, throwing a wad of bills on his lap. Immediately, the cab driver stepped on the gas pedal and drove as fast as he could. Inertia pulled the siblings back to their seats. When the car slowed down (maybe after 5 seconds), David looked back and saw the guys that were tailing them. They didn't notice them ride the cab, and wondered where they'd have gone. David leaned back to his seat and heaved out a sigh of relief. They were safe. For now.

Which meant they had no time to waste. Whatever time frame they planned had to be destroyed. They had to do the plan _now! _If not, then they may be too late to even execute them

"Okay, man" The driver of the cab said "Now where do we go?"

David looked at his sister, who looked shaken up by the incident. David opened his bag and pulled out a notebook. He opened it and tore a piece of the page. He gave it to the driver "Can you bring us to this address?"

The driver stared at the address that was scribbled in the page. His eyes squinted as he tried to read the almost-illegible handwriting. He placed the paper down and squeezed the handle of his cab "No problem. Might take about 10 to 20 minutes, though"

"As long as you get there" David commented. He slumped back to his seat and looked at his sister. "You do realize, we have to do the plan _now, _right?"

Joey nodded. "I know"

She knew. They knew. They knew that Vesper One knew about the plan, which meant that he knew the components of its success. If he can't get them and the letter, then they are definitely going after the _other key _to the plan.

They'd be going after Amy and Dan

* * *

><p>Benvolio sat on the sofa, still clutching his crotch for the nutcracker that stupid kid gave him. He couldn't believe he fell for a simple trick like that. '<em>If only I wore my crotch guard' <em>he thought. If ever there was such a guard for that, then he imagined that he had it at home; that he left it there for some unknown reason

His face was already thoroughly washed. The pepper spray really got to him. '_Outsmarted by my boss' kid' _he chuckled at the thought. He relived all of what happened a few minutes ago, and he brought his face down as if embarrassed for letting 2 teenagers escape from him.

His phone rang, and he had no choice but to pull it out of his pocket. It was an unknown caller. He tried to keep his composure, faking his bravery as his heart throbbed hard (He could never afford showing signs of nervousness) "Hello?" he said in his thick, Italian accent

_'Did you get them?' _the voice on the phone asked with a raspy voice '_Are they with you? Are you on your way to Manila?'_

Benvolio took a deep breath "They got away from me…" he said. There was a long pause after. He gulped. No one ever likes long pauses. Sometimes, it meant _bad news._

_'Benvolio' _the man on the other phone started '_You are wanted in 4 countries for serious crimes. Many cases Interpol cannot even solve were missions given to you. You are the enforcer of our group, the most talented and ruthless of many other candidates. You've handled ambushes, riots, and massacres. No you're telling me that you got bested by some teenagers?'_

"Do not worry, sir" the enforcer answered "I'm already tracking them down. I'll be able to bring them back to you in less than a day"

_'Don't kill them!' _the voice inquired '_We need them to solve that letter' _

The line went dead. Benvolio pocketed his phone, and walked out of the apartment.

* * *

><p><strong> RJS23423, out! Peace <strong>


	5. Paranoia and Excitement

**Sorry guys for the Two-Week delay (was it two weeks?)**

**I got caught up with my studying.**

**I'm going to graduate ext year, so I'm preparing for my College entrance exams**

**Anywho, here's chapter 5! Hope you enjoy!**

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><p>Paranoia. If there was one thing Amy had developed during the Clue Hunt, it would be her paranoid demeanor. From the simple, normal kind of paranoia everyone suffers from, it turned into one of the most lethal kinds of paranoia mankind has ever set eyes on. Needless to say, she has become one of the most paranoid women in Cahill history, and everyone in the Cahill family was paranoid.<p>

Dan was just finished telling his part of the day when Nellie's ringtone wailed in the insides of the car.

_'Paramore'_ Amy thought; typical of Nellie to use one of their wild songs as her ringtone. It was to her surprise one time when she found out those guys were Madrigal agents. Well, they were former Janus operatives, but they got recruited in the middle of their careers.

_ 'A song from Madrigal Recruits…'_

William McIntyre. Nellie wired her phone enough to find out who's calling just by the ringtone it plays. A certain song will pertain to a certain group or individual. She once had her phone vibrate to the beat of one of Jonah Wizard's rap songs and figured out right away that it was from the Janus leadership.

McIntyre is the Madrigal Recruiter in the US. He is the reason for the growing number of Madrigal agents, aside from those born in the family branch, all these years. Referrals go to him. And he's one of the people who get the final say in achieving active Madrigal status.

"What's up, Mr. Mac?" Nellie hollered curiously, confirming Amy's suspicions. Her paranoia triggered when Nellie's face darken in colour.

"Yes, sir." She glumly replied "I will inform them right away" She ended the conversation and placed the phone back to the dashboard. "Bad news, kiddos"

Dan perked up from his seat "What?"

"The 22nd letter of the alphabet"

* * *

><p>Nellie suddenly floored on the gas pedal. The car moved forward swiftly, and the Cahills were pushed back to their seats. Nellie, from driving smoothly, drove like a street racer from the video game, swerving and avoiding traffic while maintaining the 180kmh run. Dan miraculously strapped himself in, while Amy scrambled for something to hold on to. She found the armrest and held on it for dear life. With Nellie driving like this, it was practically unpredictable. None of them died in the past, which was a relief. But who could say that they wouldn't lose their lives now?

Amy was practically screaming all the way

But in between that adrenaline-pumping moment, her screams of fear were now replaced with shrieks of horror, much to her dismay. It wasn't the dangerously crazy driving that scared her, but the words that she thought of this morning. _'I wish the Vespers would attack us'_; that singular thought kept ringing in her head. The wish she thought was a dream in her head turned out to be a _death wish_ Death seemed to grant her. With that thought, she was horrified with the idea.

After about 5 minutes of near-death experiences, and loss of her own voice, Amy felt the car slow down to a halt. She turned to see Nellie sigh in relief, with a huge grin plastered on her face "That was awesome! I've never drove like that in a while!"

"That's technically not my idea of fun" Amy replied, wanting to puke. She opened the door and slowly exited the car. The bile had not come; hence there was nothing in her stomach to puke. She looked at her surroundings and realized that they were now in the front lawn of the Cahill Mansion.

At one point, she was glad to have touched solid ground. She would have kissed it, actually. But her relieve came at an unfortunate halt when her eyes turned to a man wearing a chic business attire. William McIntyre, the personal lawyer of the late Grace Cahill, stood by the front door, with a briefcase in his hand and a grim look through his black-rimmed glassed. Her fear of the worst, a fear that was triggered by the call Nellie had received, was now confirmed.

Dan opened his door and yelped in excitement "That was awesome, Nellie!" he exclaimed, pumping his fists in the air.

Nellie opened her door and composed herself "C'mon, let's not keep the man waiting" she beckoned for the two to follow her, and they walked briskly towards the front door.

"It is very nice to see you all again" McIntyre said in his position, beaming a fake, but otherwise calming, smile "But the graveness of the situation bars the moment"

All three nodded. Although neither of them knew how grave the situation really is, they have a fair idea at how it might be. After all, it's the Vespers they're dealing with right now. Anything with those guys involved is a _"type A"_ threat.

"Quickly now" he implied. The trio hastened. McIntyre opened the door and led the trio inside. All four of them quickened there pace, heading towards the basement door that led to the Madrigal Training Facility.

McIntyre opened the door that revealed a set of stairs heading downward. They treaded the stairs one by one, moving as quickly as they had when they entered the house. A level down, a small, orange light struck the room through the small window, revealing a bit about the time of day. In one side of the wall, they were greeted by an assortment of old items.

McIntyre walked over to the wall at the left, to where the small window was, and pressed his left hand at its surface. He walked slowly, feeling the brick wall with every step. He mumbled something inaudible, but what Amy swore was counting, He stopped, and pushed his hand on the brick with enough force. The brick was pushed back, and the wall with the assortment of items opened like a door. White light came from that room, and all four covered their eyes to prevent being temporarily blinded by the sudden brightness. They stepped inside, closing the wall behind them

They were now inside the Madrigal Training Facility.

5 sub-floors of blood sweat and tears all dedicated to make the best out all the Madrigal Agents. This is one of the 7 facilities scattered around North America, and one of the 30 facilities scattered all over the world. Its structure was an architectural marvel for Amy, and it seemed as though it was highly improbable, if not impossible, for a normal organization to create such a facility. No, desperation and ambition are the factors that drive people to create skyscrapers, or in this case, land-scrapers, such as this. No amount of desperation and ambition of a normal organization could fathom that of the illustrious Cahill Family.

Amy had entered this place more than a hundred times, but it never ceases to bring awe and wonder to her system. Amy and Dan were once again engrossed with the magnificence of the building, standing behind the railings with twinkling eyes of awe. McIntyre had other plans

"Children" he answered, "this is not the time to marvel. We have more important matters to attend to. You have plenty time to do that once this is over."

They both nodded, snapping out of their trance. It was true, nothing was more important than a Vesper threat. Foolish, it may seem, to be distracted by the same thing all over again

McIntyre led them to an elevator door, and all of them went inside steel car. The doors closed as McIntyre pressed the 5b button, Discussions and Briefings

Rarely have Amy and Dan arrive at that part of the facility. 5b was strictly for people in the higher-ups; for people with the highest clearance. Unless you're on a mission, the only thing that would give you enough clearance to enter any of those rooms, any normal Madrigal agent could only dream of entering it. Amy had entered it twice, all on a special notice. Same goes with Dan. It killed Dan not getting any missions

On the bright side, at least he wasn't getting himself killed. And on a further note, at least it's not a family member trying to kill him. Both of them had their fair share of that.

When it comes to family, all they had to do now was stop a family quarrel. Years before they finished the clue hunt, it was a lot bloodier than that.

The doors of the elevator opened, revealing an endless maze of doors and…well, doors. Each door had a fingerprint scanner, an eye scanner and a numeric pad; three levels of security to ensure that no one gets in without enough clearance. McIntyre led them to the end of the main hallway, and then made a left turn. They reached the end, revealing a sliding door with a sign that blinks _"Type A briefing room"_

McIntyre placed his hands on the scanner, then his eye, and finally punched in the numeric code. With a beep, the sliding door opened, revealing a round desk with the crest of the Cahill Family, and large TV screens surrounding the room.

McIntyre beckoned them in.

The dark, reddish glow illuminated the room very dimly.

Amy gulped.

* * *

><p>Dan was ecstatic. "Yes!" he screamed with joy "I finally get to go on a Madrigal Mission!"<p>

He'd already been fired up when he realized it was McIntyre on the phone, and much more when Nellie broke to them the bad news. It didn't even concern him that it was the _'V'_ People he was going to deal with, a _'Type A'_ Threat. Heck, even if it was going to be a mission that could kill him, he'd be downright, okay with it.

When McIntyre pressed the 5b button, he was ready to explode. All their training, well a year of training, would finally be put to good use. When McIntyre opened the _'type A Briefing Room'_, the most important of all the important, he just couldn't contain it anymore.

He was jumping when he entered the room, even did a little, goofy dance when he got inside. Nellie and Amy all walked in, not a smile on their faces. McIntyre looked the same. The sliding door closed, and the reddish glow when they were outside turned into a brighter, bluish glow coming from the corners of the room. That meant everyone needed on the mission was here. The door will never open to anyone, anymore.

This was the moment he was waiting for: a chance to finally bring pride to the Madrigal family, not that it needed it; a chance to finally become the hero; and most importantly, a chance to finally get out of this _boring rut._

McIntyre placed his briefcase on the round table "First of all," he stated "this is not a mission"

Just like that, his crazy dream melted away into nothing. "Aww, man" he said, disappointed. Amy shushed him, but Dan still looked down in the dumps

"However," McIntyre continued, "What I am about to tell you is mission-worthy information. Nothing must get out."

The large TV screen in front of them whirred to life, making all four heads turn to it. The screen showed a middle-aged man with his fingers interlaced together, matched with a staunch expression reflecting from his black eyes. "Quit the formalities, William." He said to McIntyre "and the stalling. We're on a _very tight _schedule, remember?"

McIntyre sighed, clearly annoyed by the man on the wall "Fine. I suppose I have no purpose to further this discussion. Children, I believe you are now fully aware about the things that we do in here, correct?" Amy and Dan nodded in agreement "Very well. Children, I would like you to meet Mr. Fernando Ocampo"

The man smiled "Madrigal Recruiter at your service. Pleasure to meet you all, albeit virtually"

"Madrigal recruiter?" Nellie asked, "I thought Mr. Mac here's the only one in the world?"

"No. Actually, anyone in the family could recruit agents. A select few like William and me make it a professional job. William here's in charge of the overall recruitment. He's-" McIntyre coughed, making him stop. "Right, on with the show"

McIntyre nodded "Agreed. Anyways," he approached one of the computers directly below the screen where Mr. Ocampo's face was shown. With a press of a few keys, Mr. Ocampo's video screen seemed to shrink into a thumbnail, moving to the lower right side of the screen. What came into its place is a map of the whole world in a bluish hue. "You all seem to have an idea about the predicament we are having"

All three nodded "What's the Vespers up to now?" Amy asked

"Recently," he continued, as if to answer Amy's question, "they've had some activity in the Middle East. You all know about the wars there, right?" they nodded "Some of us hypothesized that they're building their power grip in that part of the world, establishing governments to support them"

"So is that why we're here?" Dan inquired irritably "To tell us about something we could see on TV?"

McIntyre shook his head "No. That's just something to add to the problem" he turned the keyboard and pressed a few keys. A picture loaded in a screen, showing a man with a long scar on his left cheek "This man here's known as Benvolio Salvatore. Wanted by Interpol, but all in different aliases. What's more is that they have no picture of him."

He took a deep breath and continued, "According to our resources, this man is a Vesper agent. To be specific, he's part of the Council of Six"

"Those are the higher-ups for the Vespers, right?" Amy inquired

McIntyre nodded "Yes, that is correct. However," A new video popped up, showing a big man sporting a clad of black, topped with black sunglasses. He was wheeling in his baggage, making a hasty exit from where he is. He glimpsed at the camera, and the video paused. "This video was caught 4 days ago from a CCTV camera in the Logan International Airport"

Amy gasped. "So he's here? In America?"

"A lot closer than you think." McIntyre pressed another key, and another video popped open "We caught footage of this at a gas station…" Indeed, it was the same man, still in the same get-up as he had in the airport. "What is troubling is that it was caught here…in Attleboro" Benvolio, this high-ranking Vesper dude, looked menacingly in the camera, as if he knew people like them will be looking at it. It bore a hole in Amy, giving her a brief chill.

"And here's the latest" McIntyre stated. Another video flicked into the screen, showing the man, now wearing khaki pants, walking around a very familiar hallway. "This was caught this morning, by a few hidden cams scattered around the school"

Amy gasped again. "You don't mean…" McIntyre's face confirmed her suspicions

"Yes, Amy." He sighed, "This was caught in _your school"_

* * *

><p>Wishes…who knew they had the ability to come true.<p>

Amy was wide-eyed. It had only been this morning that she wished something _different _would happen with her life, yet she never really put some desperation to it. Heck, she even wished _against _it.

But Fate, or whatever magical power there is out there, seemed to have heard her first plea, and enacted upon it _many days _before she ever wished for it.

It just goes to show that you have to be careful what you wish for. At the moment, however, that advice seems to be too late.

"We have no idea what he wants to do here in America" McIntyre continued, not noticing the surprised look Amy produced, "We tried to trace all the calls he gave, but he was using a secure phone line."

"Let me get this straight" Nellie butted in "We have, _most-likely, _a dangerous Vesper agent wandering around Attleboro with no motive whatsoever. And he so happens to appear inside a school where a _very important _Cahill agent coincidentally resides? That doesn't sound like he had no motive"

"That would not be the case" Mr. Ocampo answered, joining the heated conversation "The country that I am currently assigned to is actually one of the _regional headquarters _of the Vespers, and one of my jobs is to investigate Vesper behavior."

"Your point?" Nellie retorted

"Vespers don't scurry around a place playing 'hooky', Ms. Gomez. They do stuff right away, and leave right away." Mr. Ocampo answered, "If they wanted to have Amy and Dan eliminated, as what you are suggesting, then he should've done that right away."

"Well, what if he's one of those _exceptions?" _Nellie answered back

"That's highly unlikely" Mr. Ocampo answered calmly. "To be part of the Council of Six is to be able to follow orders…without fail. This '_hit-and-run' _tactic is part of Vesper protocol."

"What if he was ordered to do it?" Nellie replied, not accepting defeat

"Ms. Gomez," he said, tired of where the conversation was going "Even if that was the case, we should have detected that already. But in the past four days, we couldn't decipher any of his actions; we couldn't reveal what he really wants. What we do know is that he is not interested in eliminating the Cahill kids. His actions lead to nothing in particular."

"It just goes to show that you don't know what your doing" Nellie insulted

"Enough!" McIntyre interrupted, ending the heated argument "We are not here to fight. We have other matters to attend to"

Everyone was silent for a while. McIntyre continued, "Like I said, we have no idea what they're doing here in America." He paused "We have, however, seen him do something suspicious, but the reason for doing it is still very vague."

He pressed another button, and another video popped once more, showing the Vesper with a flowing-black trench coat with a black fedora hat to top it off. He looked like he was hiding from some people…or following them

"2 days after he arrived, we caught him following some individuals. We caught visual on who he was tracking and came up with two hits" the face of two teenagers appeared in the screen, shocking both Amy and Dan

"That's David!" Amy exclaimed, surprised to see the boy he saw, the one he accused of being a Vesper, appear in the screen. It was clear to her that she was being followed _by _a Vesper, and he's not necessarily a Vesper himself. _Still..._

"That's Joey!" Dan answered, referring to the beautiful, young lady in the screen next to the older boy's picture.

"You know them?" he asked, clearly surprised

"Well, he was a transferee in my class." Amy answered, remembering the _creepy feeling _of danger she felt when he arrived. She shifted uncomfortably at the memory.

_"_And Joey's a transferee in mine." He added. "What does a Vesper agent have to do with these guys?"

"That," McIntyre answered "we have not figured out yet. But if what you say is true, then that explains Benvolio suddenly appearing in your school. But I still don't get his motive."

"Maybe they have something that this Benvolio guy, and possibly the Vespers, need" Dan inferred.

"Or maybe" Amy answered, accidentally voicing out her thoughts "these guys are Vesper agents, and Benvolio is secretly helping them out"

The room went silent, their noisy outbursts replaced by the soft whirs of the machines.

* * *

><p><strong>Forgive me. It should've been longer!<strong>

**Review!**

**RJS23423 out!**

**Peace!**


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